DESPERATE FIGHTING BETWEEN RED & WHITE ARMIES ON SPASSK FRONT
Vladivostok* (JFK+50) On October 9, 1922, the Evening Star reports "desperate fighting between the 'red' and 'white' armies" is taking place on the Spassk** front."
The AP report describes the struggle to be the "severest recorded since the Japanese evacuation began."
The soviets are "rushing troops with airplanes and tanks toward Vladivostok" with "the defenders...offering furious opposition."
*Vladivostok is a major Pacific port city near the Chinese-North Korean border with Russia. It is linked to Moscow by the Trans-Siberian Railway.
**Spassk is the name given to several inhabited localities in Russia.
JFK+50 NOTE
The Russian Civil War (Nov 7 1917-Oct 25 1922) was sparked by the overthrowing of the monarchy & failure of the new republican government to maintain stability.
With the Red army marching east, the Japanese evacuated the Maritime Province. Vladivostok came under Red control on October 25, 1922.
SOURCES
"Japan vs USSR: Russian Civil War I, www.amypond.sscnet.ucla.edu/
"Russian Factions In Fierce Battle As Japanese Quit," The Evening Star, October 9, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
